You Might Be a Plant Nerd

Since you visit Dave's Garden, there is a very good chance that you like plants. But have you ever felt that your fondness for or interest in plants went above and beyond the average? Do you have an obsession that most consider a bit abnormal, maybe even unhealthy? Do you think about plants all of the time? Do you find it impossible to pass up a plant sale? Do you understand the words in the purple box to the right? Don't look now, but you might be a plant nerd.

Plant nerds do and think things that the rest of the world might think are odd. Here are a few examples.

You know the scientific names of your weeds.

Your dream house is a greenhouse.

You have named pets after plants.You would name your children after plants if your spouse would let you.

You missed your nephew's christening because it was the same day as the exotic plant sale.

You have wondered why the Toronto Maple Leafs are the only professional team named after a plant. Why not the Portland Poison Oak or the Denver Ponderosas?

San Diego Wild Vegetable Animal Park

You tell the travel agent that you don't care so much about the quality of the beach; you want to know about the quality of the botanic garden and nurseries.

You go to the zoo to see the plants.

You didn't catch any fish but it was a successful trip because you saw five species of plants that you had never seen before.

You thought that a smart phone was an frivolous luxury, until you learned of the new rare plant locator app.

You have stood in line for four hours at the botanic garden in order to see the amorphophallus flower.

Your dream vacation is an African safari - plant safari, that is.

The "swimsuit issue" is okay, but the seed catalogues are the real February eye candy.

Taraxacum officinale, but you knew that

You can't remember where you put your birth certificate, but you can remember within a few yards of where on the trail you saw yellow ladyslippers back in 1978.

An associate says that he is going to Namibia to see the welwitschias.Everyone else gives him a blank stare but you are insanely jealous.

You have told a complete stranger that the ivy at Wrigley Field is not true ivy; it is a relative of the grape.

Your computer passwords are scientific names of plants.*

You have stopped along the highway ("Emergency stopping only") to look at or take pictures of an interesting plant.

You know the difference between cacti and cactuses.

If you came into some extra money, you would buy a parking lot and turn it into a meadow.

Wrigley Field

You took more pictures of the Grand Canyon flora than of the canyon itself.

You have had dreams where the main subject was a plant or plants.

You have taken a vacation day so you can go see local wildflowers or a plant show on a weekday when the crowds are smaller.

You would drive 100 miles out of the way to see a plant you had never seen before.

The most telling thing of all, though, is that if you can relate to this list and have thought of your own additions, then you are a plant nerd. Chances are you have suspected that all along and even glory in it. We think it's great, too. Welcome to the brotherhood and sisterhood of Dave's Garden, where the plant nerds - and the not so nerdy - from around the world can chat and swap ideas, experiences, and sometimes even plants.

* Don't do that. For security reasons, it is not recommended that words associated with your hobbies be used as passwords.

About Kelli Kallenborn

Kelli has lived in California for 25 years and really enjoys the climate and all of the varied natural ecosystems. You can also follow Kelli on Google.